Vinland Saga manga artist Makoto Yukimura is making his first Canadian appearance at the annual Toronto International Festival of Authors on September 23, 2023. He will also participate in an evening discussion at The Japan Foundation, Toronto, in partnership with the Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library, on September 22, 2023.
Both of Yukimura’s appearances are supported by The Japan Foundation, Toronto and Kodansha USA Publishing.
The free September 22 event titled “The Pursuit of Purpose: Chatting Vinland with Yukimura Makoto” features Yukimura and Dr. Max Dionisio, of Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, who will serve as moderator. It will include a discussion on the secrets of Yukimura’s creativity, his inspirations, and the philosophies that guide his narratives.
Shortly after this event, there will also be a 1-hour autograph session that will only be opened to registered participants. A limited number of registrants will be chosen at random for the signing and notified at a later date. A limit of one autograph will be made for each attendee. Tickets for the event will be available on September 1, 2023 at 7:00 PM EST and can be found here.
During the September 23 “Visions of Vinland” TIFA event, Yukimura will engage in conversation with Miles Baker, managing director of the Toronto Comic Art Festival. They will discuss the Vinland Saga manga, its theme, and Thorfinn’s quest to discover the mythical Vinland. A separate and limited book signing will take place following this event, with a limit of one book signed per audience member. Pre-registration for this signing event is required and is only accessible if a TIFA pass has been purchased. More details about the event can be found here.
Yukimura’s Vinland Saga manga ran in Kodansha’s Weekly Shounen Magazine from April 13, 2005 to October 19, 2005. It was then transferred to Monthly Afternoon magazine on December 24, 2005 and has released 27 tankoubon volumes as of June 2023. The manga won the Grand Prize in the manga division of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs’ 13th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards in 2009, as well as the 36th Kodansha Manga Award for Best General Manga in 2012.
The manga also inspired a TV anime series that first premiered on July 7, 2019 with a 24-episode first season from WIT Studio. A 24-episode second season from MAPPA aired from January 10, 2023 to June 20, 2023. Netflix and Crunchyroll are streaming the anime outside of Japan.
Yukimura previously released the Planetes manga from January 1999 to January 2004 in Kodansha’s Morning magazine. Four tankoubon volumes were released in Japan. Dark Horse released the manga in English as two omnibus volumes.
Kodansha USA releases the Vinland Saga manga in English and describes the synopsis as:
As a child, Thorfinn sat at the feet of the great Leif Ericson and thrilled to wild tales of a land far to the west. But his youthful fantasies were shattered by a mercenary raid. Raised by the Vikings who murdered his family, Thorfinn became a terrifying warrior, forever seeking to kill the band’s leader, Askeladd, and avenge his father. Sustaining Thorfinn through his ordeal are his pride in his family and his dreams of a fertile westward land, a land without war or slavery… the land Leif called Vinland.
Source: TIFA Official Website, The Japan Foundation, Toronto Website
